Sport as Therapy

Abstract

A cardiac lipoma is a benign primary tumor form of adipose tissue, composed of mature adipocytes that can be either capsuled or diffusely infiltrate the myocardium. Cardiac lipomas often are asymptomatic and depend on the size and location of the mass. Voluminous neoformations protruding in the heart cavities can mimic valve pathologies and cause obstructive phenomena affecting the ventricular inflow or outflow tract or cause syncope, arrhythmias, conduction disturbances.Doppler echocardiography represents the simplest imaging procedure in the study of cardiac masses. However, the most accurate current diagnosis method in terms of sensitivity and specificity is the magnetic resonance, which can determine the morphological characteristics, dimensions, as well as the relationships with the surrounding structures. We present the case of a young sportsman to evaluate in terms of the risk profile for the practice of competitive sports with a diagnosis of cardiac lipoma. This mass was protruding into the outflow tract of the right ventricle without giving any sign of valvular obstruction. The athlete did not even refer any cardiac-related symptom. In this case the prepartecipation physical evaluation requires a careful medical history, a precise hemodynamic analysis with second and third level imaging studies and a specific stratification of the arrhythmic risk profile.Key Words:Magnetic Resonance, Cardiac Masses, Ventricular Arrhythmias, Athlete, Echocardiography